US364273A - Adjustable chair - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. P. MGFADDEN.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR.

No. 364,273. y Patented June 7, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. MOFADDEN, OF EVANSVILLE, VISCONSIN.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,273, dated June 7, 1887.

Application filed May 22, i886. Serial No. 202.969. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMEs F. MCFADDEN, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Evansville, Rock eou11ty,Viseonsisn, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

In the drawings, Figure lis a perspective of my improved adjustable chair, with the footrest elevated and extended and the back inclined. Fig. 2 is a front view of a section taken through the line u u of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a soctional side view looking from theinside, taken through the line :u of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front view of a section taken through line o o of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a side view of the same portion of the chair. Fig. Gis a side elevation of the footrest, looking from the inside; and Fig. 7 is a front view of the same taken in line yy of Fig. 6.

A is the main frame-work of the chair; B, the back; C, the foot-rest; D, an extension to the foot-rest; E, the arms; F, alever extending up by the side of the chair; G, bars extending' from the front to the rear legs of the chair at each side and provided with ratchet-teeth; H, an arm-support pivoted to the front ends of the arms and extending down to about the bar G; I, a bar pivoted to the rear end of the armsupport H and extending back to the lever F; J, a dog or pawl adapted to engage the ratchetteeth in the bar G; K, ratcheted bars supporting the foot-rest; L, a rod extending across the chair from one bar I to the other,and on which vthe ratchets J are mounted; M, a spring for holding the ratchets in engagement; N, brackets or supports with which the ratcheted bars K engage, and O hooks or loops on t-he bars. I to embrace the bars G.

In making my improved adjustable chair I' arm-rests to the back frame at a proper height and extend them forward. the usual distance.

Pivoted to these arm-rests at a short'distanee from their front ends arearm-supports H, which extend downward, andare pivoted again to the uppersideframes of the chair and extend down below them, and preferably just behind the front legs of the chair, as shown in Fig. 1. I bolt or otherwise securely fasten two ratcheted bars,G, to the front and rear legs of the chair, one at each side. These bars G are provided with ratchetteeth, as shown in Fig. l. ally connected to the downwardly-extending ends of the arm supports are supplemental or additional bars I,which pass back immediately above the toothed bars G to a point, say, halfway between the front and rearlegs of the chair when in areclining position, as shown in Fig. l. The rear ends of these bars I terminate in downward hooks, bends, or loops, which pass around or partially around and embrace the bars G, so as to be held in their proper relative positions and to be moved back and forth along the bars G. Immediately on the inside of these bars I, and atl their rear ends and pivoted thereto,l are arranged pawls or dogs adapted to engage with the ratchet-teeth of the bars G. A rod, L, extends across from one side of the chair to the other, passing` through these pawls or dogs,and to which they are rigidly connected, and through the ends of the bars I. The rod L is permitted to freely turn in the holes in the ends of the rods I. Vhile in turning it raises or lifts the dogs J out of engagement with the teeth in bars G.

.To operate this rod and to throw the dogs ont of engagement at pleasure, so as to adjust the position of the chair, a lever, F, terminating in a suitable handle, extends up to within easy reach of the occupant of the chair, so that by moving it back h e can throw the pawls out of engagement and adjust the position of the chair. thus lifted out, a spring, M, (shown in Fig. 3,) is provided. Any spring or weight serving the purpose of holding thc dogs in engagement will answer.

To adjust the footrest, which is pivoted to the front of the chair-frame, I have two toothed bars or rods, K, pivoted to the same and eX- tendng back under the seat of the chair. To the front legs of the chair I preferably, by the same bolts which attach the front ends of the To hold thedogs in engagement until f IOO bars G to the front legs of the chair, secure brackets N. (Shown more particularly in Fig. 4 of the drawings.) These brackets extend upward, and are preferably provided with a cross-rod against which the teeth of the bars K engage. Vhen it is desired to raise the foot-rest to any position, it may be lifted up freely, the teeth of the bars K sliding over the rods in the brackets N, while these teeth engage with such rods when the footrest is pressed down and prevent it from falling back into its first position. To lower the foot-rest, the bars K should be lifted enough to permit their teeth to pass back out of engagement with the brackets N. Tostill further afford a support for the feet, an extension, D, is provided in the footrest, which may be pulled out,as shown in Fig. l, or slid back into posilion when the foot-rest is lowered. This extension may be given such degree of friction or tightness that it will remain in place, except when voluntarily pulled out for use. This is preferably effected by means ofa spring (not shown) which holds the extension in the position to which it has been drawn out, or from coming out voluntarily after being slid back into place.

I have represented my improved chair in plain skeleton forni in the drawings. It may be 1nade,however in upholstery and with any degree of finish and elegance desired. It may be made plain where a cheap and economical chair is preferred, or it may be made with such richness of material and iinishings as will suit the taste of more wealthy and fastidious customers, and, so far as my invention is concerned, of any kind of wood or metal desired. In either case, however, I secure the adjustment of the parts to the various angles and degrees of inclination desired by means substantially as I have above described in detail.

I am aware of the construction shown in the patent to Siebold, of September 10, 1872, and of the construction shown in the patent to I-Iorton, of September 26, 1876, and I do not claim such construction 5 but in neither of these patents are there shown or described toothed bars connect-ing the front andrear legs of the chair, nor the simple means, in connection with such bars, for adjusting' the angles and positions of the chair.

Vhat I regard as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

In an adjustable chair, the combination of main frame, pi voted back pieees,pivoted arms, pivoted arm supports, ratchet toothed bars connecting the front and rear legs, supplementary or additional bars pivoted at their front ends to the extended ends of the armsupports, pawls pivotally connected with the rear ends of the supplementary bars,and means for throwing such pawls out of engagement, substantially as described.

JAMES F. MCFADDEN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE C. Cook, FRANK. L. DOUGLAS.

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